Production Commences on The Guarantee

Starring Peter Coonan

Love/Hate actor Peter Coonan has joined the cast of The Guarantee, a new Bord Scannán na hÉireann/Irish Film Board (IFB) funded drama. Coonan will portray former Anglo Irish Bank CEO David Drumm in the film and will be joined by David Murray as Brian Lenihan, Gary Lydon as Brian Cowen and Morgan Jones as Sean Fitzpatrick.

The Guarantee recreates the landmark moment in modern Irish history which saw the Irish government provide a guarantee to the entire domestic banking system. Occurring on the night of 29 September 2008, the cost of this decision by a handful of people is believed to be in the region of €60 billion – the most expensive bank rescue in history.

The drama begins four years earlier at the height of the boom, when the Irish establishment failed to acknowledge the warning signs from abroad and at home, neglecting to reign in the property market and the wider economy. The second half of the drama takes place in September 2008, with the key players in the establishment struggling with the consequences of their earlier hubris amidst the crisis in the global banking system and as the Irish economy faced collapse.

Written by Colin Murphy and based on his stage play, The Guarantee will commence production on July 21st. Produced in association with John Kelleher Media, the BAI and TV3, the drama will be aired on TV3 and shown in selected cinemas.

Filming will get underway in the TV3 Sony HD Studio on 21st July with a release date of November 2014.